A four-member team from the newly formed Singur Bandhya Jomi Punoruddhar Committee (Singur Barren Land Reclamation Committee) visited Nabanna on Friday and submitted a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, outlining a seven-point demand regarding approximately 700 acres of land that have remained barren since the Tatas left Singur in 2008.

The farmers demanded that the government either convert their barren land into arable agricultural fields or set up industries in those areas where conversion is
not feasible.

According to a source, the committee was recently formed by a section of farmers, who were integral to the Singur movement led by Mamata Banerjee that forced the Tatas to withdraw their small car factory.

The committee is considering a long-term movement if the state government does not address their demands.

“We submitted our demands to the chief minister’s office at the state secretariat, Nabanna, today. We will wait for a response from the government over the next few days before announcing our next course of action,” said Dudhkumar Dhara, convenor of the committee.

Dhara was one of the prominent faces of the Singur movement and has currently distanced himself from the ruling dispensation, a
source said.

The committee began its efforts to reclaim their land on Friday — August 30, the same day in 2016 when the Supreme Court quashed the CPM-led state government’s acquisition of 997 acres of agricultural land for setting up Tata Motors’ small car factory, directing the return of the acquired land to the farmers.

Shortly after the court’s order in 2016, the government initiated the process of returning the land to the farmers. However, a large number of affected farmers were unable to start cultivation because of several factors, including the presence of permanent concrete layers in different stretches. The government then devised a plan to convert these areas into arable land, with a budget of ₹6 crore,
in 2021.

“But only around 300 acres of land were converted to farmable fields. The rest of the land is now a haven for poisonous snakes and wild boars,” a farmer said.

The new committee of farmers has started distributing forms to collect details from farmers, such as the size of their land, its current condition, and their intended use for it.

“We plan to open a camp office where we will collect these forms from the farmers. Our demand is clear and loud: either the government return our land, making it
suitable for agriculture, or it set up industries there,” said a member of the Singur Barren Land Reclamation Committee, adding that around 3,000 affected farmers were
with them.

Becharam Manna, one of the faces of the Singur movement against Tata’s factory and now a minister, declined to comment when asked about the farmers’ latest initiative.

However, a local Trinamool Congress leader claimed that a group of people currently not aligned with the party were instigating the farmers.

“The state government removed concrete layers from areas where agriculture was feasible. What can the government do if the farmers are not interested in agriculture? However, let the government take its decision,” the leader said.